By Denise Maycock
Tribune Freeport Reporter
dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
A Grand Bahama man was arrested by US Coast Guard officials on suspected human smuggling after he and eight other people of various nationalities were discovered on a disabled private yacht in international waters on February 18.
The Bahamian, captain of the vessel, was taken to the US, along with a Haitian man and an Ecuadorian, to face human smuggle charges, while the six illegal Chinese nationals were returned to Grand Bahama and turned over to Department of Immigration officials by the crew of USGC cutter William Flores.
Immigration officer Napthali Cooper reported the Chinese nationals - four men and two women - range in age from 17 to 35 years. Four of them entered The Bahamas in Nassau arriving from Ecuador via Panama on board Copa Airlines in November 2017 for a period of two weeks, and the remaining two arrived from Ecuador on Copa Airlines on February 11, 2018 and were also given two-week stays.
The Chinese were processed and flown to the capital where they are detained at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre.
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